Beautiful Weather Day

Yesterday was a beautiful weather day. It was pleasantly warm, with clear, sunny skies, and a light breeze. Perfect. This time of year here in the Pacific Northwest, days like that are becoming rare.

With Little Man educated at home these days, I thought it would be a great day for a field trip; to get some drone footage and visit some of our beautiful Northwest Washington woods. We’re about 90 minutes from one of the jewels of our national forestry lands: Mount Shuksan, and there’s a scenic drive that terminates at two tiny lakes with a killer view of the mountain.

Unfortunately, Little Man wasn’t feeling very well, and wasn’t up for the drive, and with my current state of going through a Kundalini awakening making everyday life extra challenging to nearly impossible, I waffled and wavered about going alone. With Little Man’s encouragement, I pushed myself and went.

Along the way, I scoped out a trail that leads to some massive old growth trees, and found the road that leads to a scenic waterfall on the Nooksack River. Those spots will be for another day’s exploration.

Arriving at the lake in the early afternoon, I found myself in good company. Grabbing my gear, I found a small, winding path that led to the water’s edge, and a few view spots. There’s a trail that circumnavigates the lake, where a handful of people and a few dogs were enjoying their walk. I chatted with a number of photographers who were set up here and there.

We talked cameras, lenses, filters, perspectives and composition of our shot, and admired the beautiful day. As I was chatting away, I noticed that I felt like I had something in common with just about everyone there. Usually we notice differences in people, but with my brain wiring changing, I felt at one with each person I chatted with, even if it was just a few sentences.

We photographers waited for pedestrians to walk by, waited for an inconveniently parked car to leave our shot, and for the wind to die down, giving us clear reflection of the mountain on the lake. The car finally left. The wind calmed a few times for a brief while. And the sun kept moving, creating different shadows on the mountain.

I picked up a photo tip, shared a view idea, and snapped away with my big gun (Canon 70D), cell phone, and point and shoot (Canon Powershot SX710hs). Enjoy some of my favorite shots of the afternoon of Mount Shuksan and Picture Lake.

Here’s a video Little Man shot last year at the mountain.